Earlier this month in Puerto Rico, an old Ruston & Hornsby engine was taken from a redundant water reservoir in the village Motor Grande and put on display outside a soon-to-be-opened supermarket in the centre of the village.

The engine is a size 7 HR Ruston & Hornsby manufactured in Lincoln between 1929 and 1964. For many years the engine was used to pressurize the water irrigation system when the valley was still agricultural, before a bigger reservoir was built on a hill over the resort.

The village, Motor Grande, is named after the engine which is still clearly revered in their history to this day. The image below depicts the valley in 1940, and was taken from near where the engine was housed in the shed next to the water reservoir.

Motor Grande, up the valley from the Gran Canaria resort of Puerto Rico

Lincoln Diesels, part of the Diesel and Marine Group, are experts in Ruston and Hornsby and can offer spare parts and service for these engines. (Although not the particular engine model featured above, as this is now very old).

We would like to extend a warm thanks to Brian Ofloinn for providing us with this story and photographs from Puerto Rico.